Clay Jenkinson, Author at Listening To America

The Romance of America’s Greatest Game: An Emotional Visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Tuesday, May 21 2024 by Clay Jenkinson

I don’t know what I expected when I drove my Airstream into Cooperstown, New York to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It was an emotional day.

Published in Dispatches from the Road

Tagged under: America at 250, John Steinbeck, New York, Sports, Steinbeck Travels

A Visit With Author Jay Parini of Middlebury, Vermont

Friday, May 17 2024 by Clay Jenkinson

Sitting in the Airstream, Rocinante. I had a delightful interview with Steinbeck biographer Jay Parini of Middlebury College in Vermont.

Published in Dispatches from the Road

Tagged under: Books, Humanities, John Steinbeck, Steinbeck Travels, Vermont

Sports, Lawn Care and Fishing at Karen’s Diner — Calais, Maine

Thursday, May 16 2024 by Clay Jenkinson

It’s too early to draw conclusions about the country’s mood, but this is what I have heard in two weeks on the road.

Published in Dispatches from the Road

Tagged under: America at 250, Humanities, John Steinbeck, Maine, Steinbeck Travels

Mount Katahdin — Maine’s Tallest Mountain

Thursday, May 16 2024 by Clay Jenkinson

Mt. Katahdin, which translates to “Greatest Mountain” in Penobscot, is the highest mountain in the state of Maine at 5,269 feet.

Published in Dispatches from the Road

Tagged under: John Steinbeck, Maine, National Parks, Steinbeck Travels

The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Conact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides. Published May, 2024

The Age of Exploration Meets the Era of Disillusionment

Thursday, May 16 2024 by Clay Jenkinson

I have been reading Hampton Sides’ excellent new study of Captain James Cook’s third voyage (1776-1779), The Wide, Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and The Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook.